As is known, various types of exercising devices and machines are popular in today's society. In recent decades, as the awareness of the importance of cardiovascular, skeletal muscle and aerobic training has risen, so too has demand increased for improved exercise equipment. Gyms and health clubs typically offer a variety of sophisticated and expensive equipment, such as stationary versions of bikes, recumbent bikes, treadmills, rowers, stair climbers or steppers, ellipticals and cross-country skiing. All of this equipment is designed and manufactured to be used by only one rider or user at a time. So, even though the public has become more aware that consistent and intelligently applied exercise can slow the effects of aging and thereby lengthen life span, overcome physical and metabolic disease, control weight and pre-disease states, there is little, if any, exercise equipment that encourages mutual, simultaneous use; provides social opportunities through its face-to-face contact; as well as mutually concurrent monitoring of user exercise. Specifically, there is little, if any exercise equipment that simulates popular forms of mutual or concurrent exercise and that allows face-to-face socialization.
Exercising the muscles of the body to increase the overall aerobic capacity, upper and lower body strength and stamina, and lean muscle mass of a single individual by combining forward leg pedaling with arm pumping free weights is one of the types of known exercise. However, arm pumping with free weights is often cumbersome, creating storage problems of the free weights, damage to floors and walls, and possible injuries to nearby individuals. In addition, arm pumping free weights is not easily coupled for objectively measuring exercise output. Therefore, there is a need for an exercise device, apparatus or exerciser that mechanically couples both arm pumping and forward leg pedaling. There is also a need for harnessing and transmitting this exercise power and converting or transducing it into usable power.
The development of devices that use cycling wheels or flywheels to provide the resistance for muscle contraction eliminated the problems inherent with handling free weights, but also created new ones. Even the classic tandem bicycle built for two riders does not allow for upper body exercise, and the riders both face the direction in which they travel, thereby making it difficult to socialize and monitor the performance of the other user. The tandem bicycle further limits the view of the rider that sits directly behind the lead rider, creating a situation where the forward view for the back rider never changes.
In the instant invention, the concept of using an exerciser where two riders face each other, so as to mutually encourage and monitor performance and output of the other rider, yet where each rider must pedal forward, is believed to be novel. The power transmission and transduction system described herein, requires mutual forward pedaling by both face-to-face users or riders and is also believed to be novel.
There is therefore a need to provide a new mechanical exerciser for working the upper and lower body portions of dual riders that overcomes the problem of one rider located directly behind and out of the line-of-sight of the other rider, and thereby not working or exercising equitably.
It is an object of the present invention to couple the mutual forward pedaling motion generated during tandem exercise of the upper and lower portions of the bodies of dual riders.
It is an object of the present invention to optionally couple the forward power generated during tandem physical exercise to a generator of electrical, fluidic (gas or liquid) or motive power, that would either be concurrently used or stored for future use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an integrated two-person exerciser for optionally driving larger power generators for either immediate use or storage of this power.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a dual human-powered apparatus for driving a variety of different makes and styles of power generators, power components, power equipment and other motive driven apparatus.
It is still yet another object of this invention to provide this tandem exerciser and power generator in a easily moved, easily stored, easy to use format, that is functionally tolerant of tandem users, capable of withstanding institutional usage encountered in universities, corporations, and commercial gyms, as well as third world countries.
It is still yet another object of this invention to provide this tandem exerciser and power generator as components or parts packaged in a kit or kits that are shipped to the retailer and/or customer and then assembled.
It is still yet another object of this invention to provide a method or methods for simultaneous tandem exercising and power generation.
The aforementioned background has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following illustrations, and the written disclosure of the Detailed Description of the Invention.